ABU DHABI ALDAR GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP

November 5, 2026

Jon Rahm

Yas Links

Quick Quotes

Q. Your first competitive round in seven weeks. Your first ever on this course. 7-under 65. Just sum your day up for us.

JON RAHM: Yeah, obviously a very good score. I think the highlight today was my iron game. Very good with the irons. Gave myself plenty of chances and obviously holed a few.

I would say, though, I got away with a couple of bad swings. Had a tee shot on 3, and then up the middle of fairway, a tee shot on 11, being able to find that and have a birdie putt.

So a few bad swings that I got away with. But overall, yeah, I shot really nice today.

Q. When we chatted on Tuesday, you were saying that obviously a new baby coming into the family and an overseeded golf course back home had limited your preparations. What was the key to hitting the ground running? 31 on the front nine is terrific.

JON RAHM: I think sometimes when your expectation is a little lower than usual, where I just kept thinking, listen, if we have a bad day, we have a bad day.

But I just kind of took it one shot at a time, made a couple beautiful swings early on, great second shot on 2, and that kind of got things going. That second shot on 3 as well, making basically three iron swings -- the 4-iron on 1, the 5-iron on 2, and then 8-iron on 3 -- gave me some good confidence.

Q. How do you tactically come up with a plan for a new golf course? And does it evolve with the more rounds that you play?

JON RAHM: I think sometimes it can be a blessing, just not knowing where some of the trouble may be, right? You just kind of focus on what you can see.

I think sometimes it helps to not be overly aggressive. On the hole like 10, I think it's easy to maybe want to hit driver, but not quite comfortable with the lines, just lay it out, but giving myself a chance. And overall just trust in your feel more than what you've seen in the past. It can be a blessing.

Other times, especially around the greens, just not knowing how the ball can react. A hole like 17 today, knowing how difficult that pin is, and basically knowing you having hit it close may be beneficial if you know how to play it.

But as far as my experience goes, sometimes just not overcomplicating things is what makes it a little bit easier, but a lot of work to do Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday to get comfortable enough with all the lines off the tee.